I've gone through a very traumatic experience, both psychologically and psysically.
I was diagnosed with breast cancer (in 2004). I had a radical mastectomy, followed by 25 courses of radiotherapy and a series of four months of FEC chemotherapy. The stage : T2N1M0. The cancer cells have been found in two lymph nodes.
Since March 2005, I follow the treatment with Tamoxifen (it was given for five years).
The IHC tests are : ER -positive / PGR - positive / CerbB2 - positive (+).
I'm worried about the positivity of CerbB2 (+), knowing that has a bad prognosis in disease evolution (compares with the pacients CerbB2 - negative)
Till now, my medical tests are okay, CA15-3 betwwen 9 - 13 U/mL.
My question is that you think the treatment is the right one, or you think is better to replace Tamoxifen with someting else? (Arimidex,etc..)
Many thanks in advance for your reply and all the best!

Sorry your cancer diagnosis and treatment was so traumatic for you. We all have different experiences, and that depends on so many different things. Only you know how terrible or not something is for you and nobody else can know that. So, I am really sorry.

When you say you had a 'radical mastectomy' do you mean the one that is rarely done any more and where they take the muscle of the chest wall as well? I had a modified radical, and which is mastectomy, axially lymph nodes and the membrane of the chest wall but no muscle. That would really interest me, and if you did, why.

In terms of the hormonal treatment, I have heard that for post menopausal women the aromatose inhibitors are slightly more effecctive then tamoxifen. I don't know how old you are. I was put into menopause with chemo and then never again had a period. I am not clear where I stand. I started on the Tamoxifen and will most likely switch in a year or so if all else is still going well.

Both can have significant side effects, but the Tamoxifen is a lot cheaper since it comes in a generic and the other one does not. (I was told it's about $400/month)

Many thanks for your kindness and support.
I'm now 44 yrs old and at that time (2004) I had the same type of mastectomy (like yours - with the lymph nodes removed and the membrane of the chest wall as well). After that, I had the hysterectomy and now I can say I'm a postmenopausal woman.
Thank you once again for the information regarding Tamoxifen vs Arimidex.

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